Page 68 of Winter Magic on Railway Lane

He grimaced. ‘It’s all going to be pretty tight time-wise,’ he told her. ‘So how does the story end?’

‘Back at home when Clara wakes up,’ she told him. ‘It’s where she realises that her godfather’s nephew looks just like the nutcracker doll come to life! But we could have that scene along with a big Merry Christmas sign to finish off just before the train gets back into the station.’

‘Okay.’ He blew out a long sigh as he scrolled through his notes. ‘There’s an awful lot to get done.’

‘Yes, but everyone’s going to pitch in,’ she reminded him.

‘They’re going to need to if we want to get everything done on time,’ he told her, with a worried look. ‘The first of December isn’t that far away.’

She hesitated to say what was on her mind before looking up at Ethan. He was studying her.

‘Just say whatever’s on your mind, Libs,’ he told her. ‘You always have done.’

‘So you’re staying on to get this done,’ she replied. It wasn’t a question. The very fact that he was planning to be so heavily involved with the Christmas train meant that he was.

He nodded slowly.

‘Because of your grandad?’ she asked softly.

‘A little,’ he admitted. ‘This Christmas train idea is so important to him that I’ve got to get it right.’ He was quiet for a while, but she knew that he was going to carry on, so she waited patiently. ‘And, I guess, it’s time for me to stop running.’

She was shocked to see pain in his eyes.

‘What is it?’ she asked, reaching out to take his hand in hers. ‘What were you running from?’ She gulped. ‘Was it me?’

He looked fiercely at her. ‘Of course it wasn’t you. It was never you.’ He gave a long sigh before he carried on. ‘It wasMum. You see, she had affairs before the very last one when she finally left Dad. And I knew all about them.’

‘You did?’ she gasped. ‘How?’

‘Let’s just say Mum was never particularly discreet,’ he drawled, rolling his eyes. ‘Anyway, I knew from the age of thirteen that my parents’ marriage was a lie. That Mum kept having affair after affair.’

Libby was stunned by his revelation and suddenly realised why he too had been rebelling throughout his teens. ‘Did Ryan know too?’ she asked.

Ethan shook his head. ‘No. Not until later… Not until the day of the prom.’ He looked at her with a sad expression.

‘So that was it,’ she said, with a heavy sigh. ‘You were so distant that night. So angry.’

‘I thought I could carry it by myself,’ he told her. ‘I thought it was best that only I knew, not Dad or Ryan. But we saw them as we went into Aldwych and Ryan was, well, shattered. He’d never even guessed and then, boom, it was something we both had to suffer. But I’m sorry I was so miserable with you.’

‘You should have said something,’ she said. ‘You should have trusted me instead of walking out that night.’ She felt the tears prick at her eyes. ‘I thought we were friends.’

‘We were,’ he said, squeezing her hand in his. ‘Weare. But you have to understand that it wasn’t my secret to share. Mum’s poison about how love was wrong, not to be trusted, I heard it over and over. Those kind of words remain with you.’ He gave her a humourless smile. ‘Especially when I came back later to apologise and tell you the truth and you were making out with that idiot Garth.’

Libby gasped. ‘You saw that?’ She blushed. ‘You knew I never liked him like that. I was just hurting so much.’

‘I know. It was all on me,’ he told her. ‘But when I saw you, I thought you must be just like Mum.’

She shook her head. ‘Of course I’m not,’ she muttered.

‘I know that now,’ he said. ‘But at the time it just reinforced my feeling that women couldn’t be trusted.’

‘You can trust me,’ she said in a fierce tone.

He reached out to stroke her face. ‘I know that now,’ he said. ‘But at the time I had Ryan to think of as well. Then your mum got sick and you had other priorities.’

‘We both had to grow up fast,’ she said.

‘You did,’ he told her with a grimace. ‘I just ran away from everyone, including you.’